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Baby names

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Original poster

Clemen'teen' or Clemen'tyne'...??

36 replies

typsical · 04/08/2011 23:08

How would you pronounce Clementine? Thank you!

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hollyw · 07/08/2011 15:40

Nightstar - not sure about the song being lovely for a child. The oh my darlin bit is ok but the full song is not very nice at all really. Probably puts some people off using the name , a bit like Ophelia because of the Shakespeare connnection

MorallyBankrupt · 07/08/2011 15:37

As someone on the other Clementine thread said, it really does just sound a bit frilly and babyish. Especially with the song link! I can't really imagine being a happy adult with such a frilly name! To me it's bit Tilly, Millie esc. Nice for a little girl withpigtails but not so much for a fully grown adult.

Emmeline has the option to be Emmie as a little girl, but then have Emma or Emmeline as a proper, adult name.

hollyw · 07/08/2011 15:36

Some family were a little bit 'oh ok' at first. I think everyone likes it now. It suits her . She can be totally girly or a total tomboy and the various shortenings/full name suit her down to the ground.

Lots of people 'on the street' that ask seem to like it. A few people love it. Nobody has told me they hate it but then I guess they wouldn't!

Mind you DS 2 is Tal iesin (known as Tali) so Clem entine was/is seen as less 'out there'.

midnightexpress · 07/08/2011 15:05

My point exactly - I'm just saying that it's not a rule, so I don't think it's right to say 'this is how we pronounce it in English', because it ain't necessarily so.

FWIW, I don't think 'intestine' has a fixed '-yne' pronunciation either. I (more or less RP) pronounce it 'intes-tin'

tammytoby · 07/08/2011 14:19

I think what Evamummy meant is that while in French and German -ine is ALWAYS pronounced EEN(E), in English it can be pronunciated either -YNE or EEN.

Magazine is clearly the French derived pronunciation, as is medicine, feminine and plasticine.

But many other words ending in INE are pronounced YNE, such as intestine, feline, decline.

English is a mongrel language, with quite illogical words and grammar.

midnightexpress · 07/08/2011 14:04

Evamummy afaik the English word 'magazine' is pronounced '-een'. though, so your explanation doesn't really work...

MrsvWoolf · 07/08/2011 13:57

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Nightstar · 06/08/2011 21:43

Actually Churchills wife pronounced it Clemen- tyne not teen. And the song is lovely for a child so you just have to pronounce it that way in my op ;-)

InstantAtom · 06/08/2011 10:54

Oh my darrlin, oh my daaaarlin Clemen-TYNE

SaffronCake · 06/08/2011 08:41

I would say Clemen-tyne

Rhubarbgarden · 06/08/2011 08:32

I know a teenage one who is 'tyne'

Cheria · 05/08/2011 14:24

-een pronunciation - but I live in France so that's what used to. Pronouncing it -yne would remid me of the fruit.

MrsvWoolf · 05/08/2011 11:34

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evamummy · 05/08/2011 10:57

Because in English you pronounce the letters INE as YNE, not EEN. E.g. Mine or fine.

Has nothing to with fruits Hmm. In German and French the fruit is also pronounced Clement-TEEN/E.

evamummy · 05/08/2011 10:55

Clementine pronounced TEEN is the German and French way. In fact all -ine names are pronounced -EEN there, inluding Carol-EEN, Rosa-LEEN etc.

The -YNE pronunciation is the anglo-saxon (english) option.

MorallyBankrupt · 05/08/2011 10:50

See I just love Emmie and therefore Emmeline. I think my view is clouded by the fact the school bully was Clementine who we all called 'clammy clemmie' or 'phlegmy clemmie' as our revenge....

Clementine is more a on trend type of name. Emmeline seems more classic to me.

Valinor · 05/08/2011 08:58

I have a Clementine - we pronounce it the 'teen' way.

But be prepared.....lots of people will pronounce it 'tyne' until they are corrected (I blame the song lol) unless you are my FIL who always insists on calling her ClemenTYNE.....Grrrrrr (then he wonders why she doesn't respond to him)

Usually when we introduce her people ask us to repeat her name (not sure why - maybe because it's still pretty uncommon) but generally the reaction to her name has been positive. We call her Emmie for short.

EdithWeston · 05/08/2011 07:49

I'd take Rosaline ("lyne") as the example, as it also changes spelling when it becomes Rosaleen. Though I suppose all that I, and the other posts above, is showing that pronunciation and spelling vary. The holder (and parent) will both need to explain their chosen way many times, and nicely as it would be each enquirer's first time of asking. Are you OK with that prospect?

My answer to actual question: to me ""teen" is the fruit, and "tyne" 'Oh My Darling'.

Primafacie · 05/08/2011 07:43

DD's middle name is Clementine, pronounced -teen.

MrsvWoolf · 04/08/2011 23:30

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MorallyBankrupt · 04/08/2011 23:28

Oops typo. song not sing.

MorallyBankrupt · 04/08/2011 23:27

Oh God I cannot stand that song.

I think most people think of the fruit and the sing and both are Tyne. But I still think it looks like Christine so would be teen.

I think 99% of people would say Emmeline with the leen ending straight off though.

Original poster
typsical · 04/08/2011 23:27

x-posts sorry

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MrsvWoolf · 04/08/2011 23:25

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Original poster
typsical · 04/08/2011 23:24

AuntEnna That was my thinking before starting the thread... although the song 'Oh my darling', wasn't that 'tyne'?

hollyw I'm a little bit Envy that you have one! :) What sort of reactions do you have to her name?

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